Ex-ISI chief Asad Durrani denied visa to attend launch of book 'The Spy Chronicles' co-authored with former RAW head

Just a week after Imran Khan took his oath as the Pakistan prime minister on 18 August, India is set to have its first official engagement with a team of officials travelling to Islamabad for a meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission.

New Delhi: Former Director General of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Asad Durrani was denied Visa to attend the launch of a book that charts a series of dialogues between him and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief AS Dulat.

In his absence, the book "Spy Chronicles" was released jointly by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former vice president Hamid Ansari, former union minister Yashwant Sinha and other important figures from the political sphere.

Durrani, who was ISI's DG between 1990 and 1991, was seen in a pre-recorded video message, thanking the "Indian deep state".

"At the end, a very special thanks to the Indian deep state. By denying me the visa, they have saved me from the wrath of our hawks. They will be happy to know that I have not yet been cleared by the South Block (which houses India's PMO and Ministries of Defence and External Affairs)," he said in the video that was played during the launch of this HarperCollins book.

"Spy Chronicles" unfolds a wide range of discussions, debates and often arguments between the two spymasters. At the same time, both of them show immense respect and a friendly approach towards each other.

The book ends with a chapter where the two present a roadmap for the future and then discuss each other's suggestions in a freewheeling conversation with journalist Aditya Sinha.